Sunday, May 13
Worcester, Mass.
8:00 AM
Princeton University
vs
Eastern Sprints
Photo by: Beverly Schaefer
Surging Lightweights Bring Championship Dreams To 2018 Eastern Sprints
May 10, 2018 | Men's Rowing - Lightweight
The men's lightweight rowing field has traditionally been somewhat bunched up heading into Eastern Sprints, so drama is nothing new for this week. However, the potential top tier for the 2018 Sprints seems as deep as ever, and it could set up one of the most memorable championship races in memory.
Just use the Princeton 1V as an example.
March 31: The Tigers go to Overpeck Park and fall by 1.1 seconds to Columbia.
April 14: Princeton and Cornell are even with 500 to go, when the Tigers fire off a final sprint that leads them to a 3-second win and a Lake Carnegie course record.
April 28: The Tigers catch Yale with 500 meters to go on the Housatonic and edge the Bulldogs by 1.2 seconds in another furious sprint.
That's four of the projected championship contenders, and it doesn't even include the team ranked #1 heading into the regular season finale (Harvard), a Navy boat that has been close with everybody this season, and a Penn boat that was the IRA runner-up just last year.
Lake Quinsigamond will host the 2018 Eastern Sprints this Sunday, May 13, and Princeton enters as a strong contender for both the Joseph Wright Trophy/Ivy League title, which goes to the winner of the 1V race, as well as the Jope Cup, which goes to the overall team champion. The Tigers, coming off their thrilling Goldthwait/Vogel Cup victories during the H-Y-P regatta two weeks ago, will enter as either the #1 or #2 seed in the top four varsity races.
Princeton hasn't won gold in the 1V final since 2010, Marty Crotty's first year as head coach of the lightweight men. His second-seeded boat brings plenty of momentum into the weekend — eight straight wins will do that — but senior James Sincavage believes a different intangible will be the key on Sunday.
"The most important thing to focus on as we prepare for the Eastern Sprints is to love our teammates," said Sincavage, who is in his third season with the Princeton 1V. "If you love the teammates you're about the go to battle with for 2,000 meters, you are going to unleash every ounce of strength and mental toughness to make sure your teammates cross the finish line first. If you love your teammates, giving anything less than your absolute best becomes unimaginable."
The Tigers will look to bring out their best at 10 am Sunday in the second of two 1V heats, where Princeton will face Yale, Navy, Penn and MIT. Should the Tigers finish in the top three, they will race for gold at 4:45 in the grand final.
"The unrelenting competitiveness of the Sprints field is what drives us to wake up early for extra workouts and stay late after practice to lift in the weight room," Sincavage said. "We have raced some epic duels this season and to put our expectations of the Eastern Sprints in perspective, we are like a basketball team preparing to play perfectly during regulation but knowing the winner will ultimately be decided in the last possession of overtime."
The Princeton 2V, also coming off an impressive H-Y-P sweep, also enters as the #2 seed and will race Penn, Navy, Yale and MIT at 11 am in the second of two heats. A top-three finish would send the Tigers to the 3:30 grand final; the Tigers last 2V win also came in 2010, which also happens to be their last Jope Cup win.
The 3V is the top seed in its field and race Navy, Harvard, Georgetown, and Dartmouth in an 8:20 heat, with the top three set to race in the 2:15 grand final. Both the 4V and 5V will race in finals only; the 4V takes on Navy, Yale, Harvard, Columbia, Cornell, and Penn at 1:24 pm, while the 5V will take on Harvard and a pair of Navy boats to open the afternoon session at 1 pm.
SPRINTS ROUNDUP
1st Varsity
10:00 am heat – Princeton, Yale, Navy, Penn, MIT
4:45 pm grand final
2nd Varsity
11:00 am heat – Princeton, Penn, Navy, Yale, MIT
3:30 pm grand final
3rd Varsity
8:20 am heat – Princeton, Navy, Harvard, Georgetown, Dartmouth
2:15 pm grand final
4th Varsity
1:24 pm grand final – Navy, Princeton, Yale, Harvard, Columbia, Cornell, Penn
5th Varsity
1:00 pm grand final – Harvard, Navy 5V, Princeton, Navy 6V
Just use the Princeton 1V as an example.
March 31: The Tigers go to Overpeck Park and fall by 1.1 seconds to Columbia.
April 14: Princeton and Cornell are even with 500 to go, when the Tigers fire off a final sprint that leads them to a 3-second win and a Lake Carnegie course record.
April 28: The Tigers catch Yale with 500 meters to go on the Housatonic and edge the Bulldogs by 1.2 seconds in another furious sprint.
That's four of the projected championship contenders, and it doesn't even include the team ranked #1 heading into the regular season finale (Harvard), a Navy boat that has been close with everybody this season, and a Penn boat that was the IRA runner-up just last year.
| 2018 EASTERN SPRINTS LINKS |
| Watch Live l Live Results l Live Results (Mobile) l Schedule/Lane Assignments l Directions |
Lake Quinsigamond will host the 2018 Eastern Sprints this Sunday, May 13, and Princeton enters as a strong contender for both the Joseph Wright Trophy/Ivy League title, which goes to the winner of the 1V race, as well as the Jope Cup, which goes to the overall team champion. The Tigers, coming off their thrilling Goldthwait/Vogel Cup victories during the H-Y-P regatta two weeks ago, will enter as either the #1 or #2 seed in the top four varsity races.
Princeton hasn't won gold in the 1V final since 2010, Marty Crotty's first year as head coach of the lightweight men. His second-seeded boat brings plenty of momentum into the weekend — eight straight wins will do that — but senior James Sincavage believes a different intangible will be the key on Sunday.
"The most important thing to focus on as we prepare for the Eastern Sprints is to love our teammates," said Sincavage, who is in his third season with the Princeton 1V. "If you love the teammates you're about the go to battle with for 2,000 meters, you are going to unleash every ounce of strength and mental toughness to make sure your teammates cross the finish line first. If you love your teammates, giving anything less than your absolute best becomes unimaginable."
The Tigers will look to bring out their best at 10 am Sunday in the second of two 1V heats, where Princeton will face Yale, Navy, Penn and MIT. Should the Tigers finish in the top three, they will race for gold at 4:45 in the grand final.
"The unrelenting competitiveness of the Sprints field is what drives us to wake up early for extra workouts and stay late after practice to lift in the weight room," Sincavage said. "We have raced some epic duels this season and to put our expectations of the Eastern Sprints in perspective, we are like a basketball team preparing to play perfectly during regulation but knowing the winner will ultimately be decided in the last possession of overtime."
The Princeton 2V, also coming off an impressive H-Y-P sweep, also enters as the #2 seed and will race Penn, Navy, Yale and MIT at 11 am in the second of two heats. A top-three finish would send the Tigers to the 3:30 grand final; the Tigers last 2V win also came in 2010, which also happens to be their last Jope Cup win.
The 3V is the top seed in its field and race Navy, Harvard, Georgetown, and Dartmouth in an 8:20 heat, with the top three set to race in the 2:15 grand final. Both the 4V and 5V will race in finals only; the 4V takes on Navy, Yale, Harvard, Columbia, Cornell, and Penn at 1:24 pm, while the 5V will take on Harvard and a pair of Navy boats to open the afternoon session at 1 pm.
SPRINTS ROUNDUP
1st Varsity
10:00 am heat – Princeton, Yale, Navy, Penn, MIT
4:45 pm grand final
2nd Varsity
11:00 am heat – Princeton, Penn, Navy, Yale, MIT
3:30 pm grand final
3rd Varsity
8:20 am heat – Princeton, Navy, Harvard, Georgetown, Dartmouth
2:15 pm grand final
4th Varsity
1:24 pm grand final – Navy, Princeton, Yale, Harvard, Columbia, Cornell, Penn
5th Varsity
1:00 pm grand final – Harvard, Navy 5V, Princeton, Navy 6V
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Rowing - Lightweight
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